


Rebel, Rebel

by LordoftheNerds97



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Human Raphael, Protective Raphael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordoftheNerds97/pseuds/LordoftheNerds97
Summary: The darkness is their ally, the shadows are their companions. Everyone knows they exist, but nobody knows who they are. The four brothers are beginning to understand the true meaning of life and happiness when tragedy strikes. Their lives are in shambles and each one of them is grieving in their own way. Raphael takes the damage the hardest, letting his anger boil. A chance meeting in the middle of the night ends up changing his life in a number of ways. Will the soft spoken college student be able to put out the flames of his rage, or will he take them both down in an inferno? Human AU.





	1. High - Young Rising Sons

_Ding! Ding!_

"Order for table six!"

Teagan glanced back at the kitchen window, blowing a piece of platinum hair out of her eyes. She turned back to the people in front of her, smiling as she wrote down their orders. "Anything else I can get ya?" she asked, closing her notepad.

"No, thank you." the woman replied, smiling back.

"Okay, I'll have that right out for you guys." She turned around and ripped the page out, sticking it on the spinner as she approached the window. Her notebook fell into one of the pockets of her small apron that rested on her waist as she reached for the tray of food. Putting on another fake smile, she hoisted it up on top of her shoulder, heading over to the large table. She quickly and expertly dispensed the proper orders to the right people, double checking to make sure she didn't miss anything. They let her go without any complaints and she moved to refill their drinks. Her ice blue eyes sought out the clock, wanting more than ever to go home. She had a lot of studying to do and it was already almost nine. She sighed as she realized she had yet another hour left in her shift. Though she couldn't complain too much; she needed the money. Being a college student living on under minimum wage was not her ideal position, but its what she had, so she would live with it.

She saw Jason starting to fill up a tray full of drinks. He raised an eyebrow when he took in her rushed appearance. "Rough night?" he asked.

Teagan ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep from pulling it out. "You have no idea. I've got three big tests tomorrow, and I have yet to finish my studying. And I've got another hour in my shift." she groaned. But as soon as the words left her lips, she put on another fake smile. "But its okay. I need the extra hours."

He snorted. "You need to relax, T. That's what you need."

She let out a bark of laughter. "Me? A break? You're kidding, right?"

He chuckled. For the two years he had known her, he realized she was one of the hardest working people he had ever met. But he knew one of these days that mouth of hers would get her into some serious trouble. "I think my bull crap radar is going off, T."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Get back to work." she said. Jason grinned and did as she asked, heading back out into the fray. For a Thursday night, they were incredibly busy. She adjusted her dress, pulling the hem down as far as she could. She wasn't too fond of the thigh length uniform. It was rather revealing for her taste, but she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She just ignored all the stares and cat calls she got. Teagan quickly refilled the few glasses she brought back before making her way back to the big table once again.

About ten minutes later, the bell rang again, signaling the completion of another meal. She checked the table number and saw it was one of the last ones she had. So with another fake smile, she took the order to the correct table. The rest of the night seemed to go much the same; people always coming and going, her rushing around with heavy trays of food. She briefly wondered why she ever decided to be a waitress. Shaking her head, she looked back up to the clock, happy to see she only had a few more minutes left. She dropped off her last tray before looking for Jason. She found him hiding in the alcove where the soda fountain was. She grinned as she took off her apron. "I'm done for the night." she said, popping her knuckles as she hung the fabric up on the hook.

"Lucky." he muttered, scowling playfully at her.

She chuckled and hit his shoulder. "It'll be okay. I promise." she said, glancing back at the thinking crowd. Teagan turned around and opened the small closet, grabbing her leather jacket off the hook. "I still have to go home and study."

"You have fun with that."

She almost groaned at the prospect. Studying was something she hated with a passion, but she knew she needed to do it in order to pass. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup. Night, T."

"Later." she said, turning and heading for the door. She shivered when the cold air hit her bare legs. Her hands quickly found the deep pockets in her coat and she turned her back to the wind as she walked. Her dorm was only a few blocks away, so she figured she could tough the cold for a few minutes. She hummed the tune of a song she couldn't get out of her head as she walked along, the converse on her feet making no sound. She glanced up at the full moon, grinning as she was able to see it for a few moments before it disappeared behind a sky scraper. She missed being upstate where she could see all the stars and the moon all the time. But she was getting a chance to learn how to live her dream, so she supposed she could deal with some starless nights.

Teagan jumped when she heard a light bulb in one of the street lights break, but when she glanced around, she didn't see anybody. Probably just bad wiring. That happened around the campus all the time. She shrugged it off and continued walking, deciding to cut around the back way to shave a few minutes off her walk time. In the dark it was easier for her to get turned around in the back alleys, but if it meant she got to go home and be in bed sooner, then she was all for it.

But when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up because of an unknown presence, she began to regret her decision all together. Forcing herself to ignore the person behind her and walk faster, she began to finger the pepper spray she kept in her pocket at all times. She swallowed hard when she heard a whistle coming from the alley beside her.

"Hey, where's a fine girl like you goin' all alone in the middle of the night?"

She shivered at just how sleezy the voice sounded. Her fist clenched around the mace, ready to swing it out at a moment's notice. The initial set of footsteps she heard turned into three and she screamed when she felt a hand on her arm. She was jerked backwards and thrown into the brick wall. She groaned when she hit her head.

"My friend asked you a question." a voice growled.

Once the world stopped spinning, she looked up at the man in front of her in terror. He leaned his weight against the one arm he propped himself up with and reached up to grab her chin in his free hand.

"Are you gonna answer it, or do I have to make you?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked, shoving him backwards. When she caught him off-guard, she whipped out her pepper spray and aimed for his face. The burning liquid hit his eyes and he howled in pain, doubling over as his fingers clawed at his face. She took the opportunity to make a run for it, heading back towards the street.

"You little twerp!" another one hissed, running towards her.

She let out an ear splitting scream when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back once again

* * *

 

Raphael growled as his feet hit the rooftop. Who did Leo think he was, anyway? Walking around like he owned the place, ordering them around like he was their sensei. Oh how much he wanted to punch that attitude right out of his older brother. But he held back, not wanting to give Donnie and Mikey another reason to be angry with him. He was their brother and their friend, but above all else, he was their protector. He had to keep his head on straight if he wanted to do his job right. But after what happened to Sensei, he wondered if their team would ever be the same again.

He kicked a rock across the roof, wanting to beat the crap out of some Foot or Purple Dragons. Heck, he would even settle for some thugs. Anything to keep his mind focused. He knew what he was doing was probably petty, but he didn't care. He needed space and time to process things in his own way. Out of all of them, he thought Leo would understand that the most. Turns out he was wrong.

"Fine. Who needs em?" he spat, beginning to pace. He had a lot of energy built up and was ready to spend it on something. His fingers brushed the hilt of one of his sais, itching to feel the smooth leather in his hand as he bashed some heads.

The tattered red tails of his mask blew out behind him as he turned into the wind, taking a deep breath of cold air. Perfect night for a work out.

He whipped his head around when he suddenly heard a noise. He waited a few seconds and then heard it again. "Finally, some action." he muttered. He took off running in the direction of the screams, his soft leather boots crunching on the gravel. He launched himself across a couple different rooftops before he skid to a stop. He watched the scene below him for a moment. Several men, Purple Dragons by the looks of them, had a woman cornered in an alley. He growled as he made his way to the other building.

"Dragon scum." he muttered. Raphael took a moment to judge the distance before he jumped down, somersaulting to stick the landing in front of the woman. He noticed the three men jumped back when he suddenly appeared out of no where, which made him smirk. He slowly stood to his full height, his 6'2 build towering over the would-be ninjas.

He grabbed his sais and spun them around, the blades hissing in the cold night air. "Pick on someone your own size." he snarled.

* * *

Teagan skid to a stop in front of the brick wall. "No, no, no, no!" she exclaimed, trying to find a quick way out. She cursed when she realized she had no place else to go when they finally caught up to her.

"Nowhere to run now, girly." one of them said, taking a step towards her.

She was almost paralyzed with fear. What were they going to do to her? Rape her? Kill her? Both?

"S-stay away f-from me!" she said, reaching out with her now empty mace can. They chuckled at her, smacking it out of her hand. Her eyes widened in terror as one of the ripped the jacket off her shoulders. She began screaming at the top of her lungs, as long and as loud as she could. One of them, she wasn't sure which, hit her across the face. Her scream was abruptly cut short and replaced with an intense pain in her jaw. She tasted blood one her lip as she was roughly shoved up against the wall. She felt hands on her face and she did the only thing her muddled brain could think to do; she bit him. She successfully caught his hand between her teeth, and she refused to let go. She clenched her jaw and dug her teeth in until she felt blood, and she still refused to let go.

He howled in pain and managed to rip his hand free, adding a nice long gash to the length of his hand. Her head whipped to the side and she felt a sting where his other hand slapped across her cheek.

She jumped in fear when she saw a black figure suddenly drop in front of her. She shrank back farther against the wall when he stood up, his back to her, and held weapons in his hands. His voice was deep and raspy when he spoke, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Pick on someone your own size."

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. He took out the men with absolutely no problem, moving and hitting in such a precise way. It was over within a couple minutes. When he turned to her, she had to hold in another scream. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her. She flinched when he reached out to her and he paused. "I'm not gonna hurt you." he said.

She couldn't decide if she wanted to hug him or run away screaming. "I'm okay." she managed to choke out. She closed her eyes tightly when he gently grasped her chin, turning her head to the side.

"That's gonna leave a mark." he grunted.

She warily opened her eyes and looked up at him. His bright green eyes stayed on her, examining her wounds. A red mask was tied around the top half of his face and she could see some writing on one of the tails that fell over his shoulder.

Teagan finally came to her senses and realized what a mess she was. Her face was probably beaut up beyond recognition. Her once clean blue dress was now caked in dirt and blood, a long tear running almost all the way up her hip on one side of it. The left shoulder had been basically torn off, exposing her now bruised shoulder and bra strap. She was a dirty beat up mess and was dumbly staring at her savior, lost for words.

"Come on,." he said, gently grasping her arms to help her up. "Let's get you to a hospital."

She froze up at that and began violently shaking her head. "I'll be fine." she croaked. Her throat was raw from screaming and she hated how her voice cracked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Look, I'm no doctor, but I think that's gonna need stitches." he responded, nodding to the cut on her forehead.

"Like I can afford a hospital visit." she muttered, looking at the ground.

"What?"

"I barely have enough money for groceries, so I really don't think I can afford medical insurance or a late night trip to the ER." she said.

"Well its not like I can just leave you out here." he said, glancing back to the still unconscious men. "What are you even doing out here this late by yourself?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her short platinum hair. "I was on my way back to my dorm. I had a late shift at the diner tonight." she said quietly.

He grunted in response. "Guess that explains this costume." he said, gesturing to her ripped up dress.

She blushed and tried as best she could to pull the torn shoulder back to where it belonged.

"Is this yours?" he asked, holding up a leather jacket.

She nodded and took it from him. "Thank you."

He sighed. "Do you have somewhere you can go to get this-" he gestured to her rapidly blackening eye and cuts on her face, "-taken care of?"

"My roommate is a third year med student. She can patch me up."

He nodded. "Let's go." he said gruffly.

"What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Like I'm gonna leave you out here alone. I'll walk you back to make sure nobody else pops out at you."

"Thank you." she said softly.

His green eyes took in her tattered appearance. Despite what happened, she seemed to be processing everything pretty well. Either that or she was just in shock. Either way, he was surprised at how well composed she was. He followed her as she began slowly making her way back to the street. Her voice broke the silence a few moments later.

"I'm Teagan." she said.

His green eyes flicked to her momentarily. "Raphael." he grunted.

"Nice to meet you." she mumbled.

They walked in silence until they reached her dorm building. It was closer than Raph thought, only about a block away. "You gonna be okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her arm.

"Yeah. Thanks to you." she said with a small smile. He nodded, not quite sure what to say. Before she could talk herself out of it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a quick but tight hug. Before he even registered what she had done, she released him. "Thank you, again." she said. "I dont know what would've happened if you didn't show up."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're welcome."

She turned to head into the building when his voice stopped her again. "Wait a sec."

She turned around to find him scribbling on a piece of paper. He held it out to her and she took it with a raised eyebrow.

"If anything like that ever happens again, call me. Got it?"

Teagan nodded with a soft smile. "Sure."

With that, she turned and walked into the building, Raphael already disappearing into the shadows. She figured she would have everything hit her in the morning. But right now, she just wanted to sleep.


	2. Unstable - Anberlin

uTeagan somehow staggered into the dorm she shares with her best friend, Taylor. The world was beginning to spin and she wondered how she was even still standing. At that moment, she had to stumble from the main area to the bathroom, dropping to her knees in front of the toilet as she hurled what little she managed to get for dinner. Taylor, jumping at her sudden arrival and disappearance, immediately ran to her aide. "Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down beside her friend in obvious concern.

Teagan groaned as she let out a couple dry heaves, gripping the edge of the toilet until her knuckles were white. She wasn't able to say anything as she sat there, so Taylor dutifully stayed by her side, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Please tell me you're not drunk." she said playfully once Teagan managed to calm her aching body.

Teagan turned her face towards her best friend, waiting for the onslaught she knew was coming. Taylor almost shrieked when she took in the damage. "What happened?!" she demanded.

Teagan grunted as she dropped onto the floor and allowed the wall to support her. Taylor moved quickly, her fingers moving gently over her friend's face as she checked for broken bones. Teagan hisses when she felt fingers prodding against her bruised eye. "A few guys attacked me." she mumbled, squinting against the harsh light.

Taylor froze, registering what was said. Her hazel eyes finally landed on Teagan's shredded uniform and widened in horror. "Did-"

"No. Someone stopped them before they got that far." she said. She pushed herself up farther with one leg, grimacing with the burning pain running through her whole body. Now that her adrenaline rush was fading, she felt every little scrape and bruise that had been inflicted. "I'm pretty sure it was one of  them."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Them as in...?"

"The vigilantes. You know who I mean." Teagan snapped.

"Hey, no need to get snappy. Why didn't you go to the hospital?!"

Despite the burning pain she felt, she managed to give her friend a withering look, and Taylor quickly amended her statement.

"Right. Why didn't you call me?"

Teagan manages a half shrug. "Wasn't really the main thing on my mind." she muttered.

Taylor sighed at her friend. "Let me get my kit."

Teagan didn't say anything, just sat on the floor and brought her knees to her chest. The adrenaline she felt had now completely faded, leaving her with the lingering pain of every injury. She briefly wondered what would've happened if Raphael hadn't come along. The cops would probably find her body in a dumpster the next morning.

The dark thoughts were pushed out of her mind as Taylor reappeared, her med kit and some pajamas in hand. She knelt down in front of Teagan and pushed her glasses up her nose to get a better look at the injuries. The black eye wouldn't be going away any time soon. But she could definitely do something about the cuts on her forehead and cheek. "This is gonna sting." she said.

Teagan nodded once and closed her eyes as Taylor reached up to clean the wounds. A soft hiss came from between her teeth and she clenched her jaw at the pain. As she sat there, even with her eyes closed and stating into the black nothingness, she felt the room go sideways.

"Whoa, calm down T." Taylor said, pushing her friend back up. "I know this sucks, but I need you to stay awake. I haven't had the chance to check foe a concussion, so you can't sleep yet." Teagan let out a growl, forcing her eyes open. "Talk to me. How was work?"

Teagan knew what her friend was doing. She was trying to distract her from the events currently taking place and instead getting her focused on something that would keep her alert. It was something they learned early on in med school.

"Long and boring." she drawled.

Taylor chuckled. "Understandable. What about classes?"

"I have to study for tomorrow's midterms." she muttered, her eyes turning glassy. "So much for that."

"Hey now, you haven't even let me finish working on you! By the time I'm done, you'll be out reading everyone else again."

A few more minutes passed like this, Taylor making sure to keep her engaged in conversation that made her think. After cleaning the injuries, she had numbed the area and stitched her up. Then she helped Teagan change into her favorite pjs. She checked for a concussion, Teagan having a mild one. Taylor made a mental note to explain what happened to both of their teachers in the morning, explaining why neither of them would be in class or be ready for their big tests. With Teagan successfully bandaged up and in bed, Taylor sighed and ran a hand through her hair. There would be no way she was leaving her best friend tomorrow. She silently thanked whoever it was that intervened, because they more than likely saved her life

 

* * *

 

Raphael walked quietly back into the Lair, not wanting to disturb anyone. He knew Leonardo would be meditating and Mikey and Donnie would already be home in their beds. His late night activities had done a lot to calm his mind, focusing his anger onto something productive. But he flinched when he stepped on a creaky floorboard, effectively alerting his brother to his arrival. Not even a minute later, Leo came slinking out of the shadows, his bright blue eyes striking against the darkness.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

Raph bit back a growl. He knew his older brother was only looking out for him and wanted to make sure he was safe. But he didn't have to come across all high and mighty. "Patrol." he grunted instead.

He saw Leo's tense shoulders relax. He knew Leo was only worried, but it was still frustrating, having his every move questioned. "Find anything?"

The memory of her cowering against the wall in fear flashed in his mind, her eyes wide with terror as she stared up at him, hoping he wouldn't finish the job that the Dragons had started. "Yeah. Stopped a few douche bags from hurting a college girl."

Immediately, Leo once again tensed. "Is she okay?"

Raph nodded, reaching up to untie the knot at the back of his head. The red mask easily fell away from his face. "I got there just in time. They didn't do anything too bad to 'er. A busted lip and a black eye, but nothing else."

"Good."

Raph snorted and shook his head to himself. In the few minutes he knew her, he got the feeling she was as stubborn as they come. Her refusing to go to a doctor was proof enough.

"What are you laughing at?" Leo asked curiously.

"The girl. Teagan, she said her name was. I took her back home because she couldn't afford a hospital visit. She said her roommate was a med student and could take care of her." The look of pure determination to walk back to her dorm flashed in his memory, her steely eyes daring him to tell her otherwise.

Leo shook his head. "That wasn't smart, Raph."

He rolled his green eyes. "What was I supposed to do? Throw her over my shoulder and drag her to the hospital?"

His brother was silent for a moment. "Fair enough." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Its late. You get some rest. I'll take the night watch."

Raph opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Leo made him close it again. As much as he didn't appreciate being bossed around all the time, he knew Leo had their best interests at heart, and most of the time, knew what was best. So instead he just nodded and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. If he was being honest, he needed it. Leo clapped him on the shoulder and made his way out of the old warehouse and down the poorly lit streets.

Raphael sighed and uncinched the red belt from around his waist. He moved towards the gym and deposited his mask, belt, and weapons on their arsenal wall. Undoing the small knot at his abdomen, he stripped off the top half of his keikogi and boots, headed back to the small living area. He dropped onto the couch in a half sitting, half lying position with a sigh. Before he was even completely comfortable, he felt his eyelids starting to droop.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed the darkness to consume him, dragging him under.

* * *

 

The next morning, Teagan woke with a groan. She pried her eyelids open and instantly regretted that decision as she squinted against the bright light. The curtain on the window was pulled back, allowing the sunlight to stream through. She frowned and glanced at the clock. She really hoped she had enough time to get up and take a shower before getting to class. But her eyes widened in surprise when she realized she was late for her second class of the day. In the bathroom, the shower was running. Why was Taylor still there? Teagan sighed and threw the blankets off herself, exposing her arms to the cold air of the room. She shivered momentarily before standing and heading to her dresser.

She paused midstep and had to slowly back up. She stared at the mirror, wondering if what she saw was actually what she looked like. Her right eye was black and purple, the area bruised as big as a fist. She had a cut above her left eyebrow that was stitched, as well as one on her cheek. Her bottom lip still appeared to be split and showed no sign of healing any time soon. As soon as she took in her appearance, everything came flooding back to her.

The memories from the night before flashed so fast she thought she would be sick again. She covered her mouth and choked back a sob. It was real. It wasn't just a dream. But maybe that would explain why every single muscle in her body was on fire. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at her reflection. She almost died last night. She frantically looked around for what remained of her work uniform and found it balled up in the trashcan. She frowned as she dug into the pocket, searching for the small piece of paper. She found it crumpled into a little ball. Carefully, her shaking fingers managed to unwad it. Ten numbers were scrawled across it, a name and a short note scribbled beneath.

If you need a hand, gimme a call.

She reread those words over and over again, trying to remember why they were so important. She remembered someone intervening and at the same time she was hoping he wouldn't finish her off himself. But then the rest of it began trickling back, unlike the flood that bombarded her just a few moments ago. One of the vigilantes, Raphael judging by the note, saved her. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused. So instead he walked back to her dorm with her, making sure no further harm came to her while she was in such a fragile state.

It wasn't until her vision blurred considerably that she realized she was crying. She looked down and saw her tears beginning to smear the long since dried ink. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, wiping away the wet streaks that remained on her face. Looking in the mirror, she realized she could hide a lot of the damage with makeup. Teagan's eyes found the clock and she realized she had just enough time to do her makeup and be on time for her psychology class.

Her parents had paid a good chunk of money, despite her scholarship, for her to be able to go to college. She had already missed several days of classes because of work, and she was determined to keep up with her homework, despite the inconveniences she might face. She sure as heck couldn't let a little bruise keep her from acing her tests. She had worked too hard for that. So with a determined glare, she made up her mind. Though she knew she would probably regret her decision later that day, her mind was made up and there was no changing it.

She grabbed the bag of makeup from her dresser, thankful that she still kept it there. She didn't want to bother Taylor and she was pretty sure her roommate would do everything in her power to keep the platinum headed girl in the dorm. Teagan quickly threw on a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and a baggy Guns n Roses shirt, using a black beanie to cover the mess that was her hair that morning. Her fingers made quick and shaky work of fixing up her face. The concealer hid a lot of the damage, and the black eye shadow she used helped to hide the fact that she had a major shiner. The two stitched cuts stood out the most, but there wasn't a lot she could do to hide that.

Taylor was still in the bathroom ten minutes later, and Teagan made a beeline for the door, tugging on her black boots and grabbing her bag as she went. She made sure to put on her dark aviator sunglasses before she left, hoping to hide the damage for as long as she could. Despite her aching muscles, she almost jogged to be on time to her class. She skid into the room as the rubber on her boots stopped her.

Professor Stein raised an eyebrow at her entrance before checking his watch. "Need I remind you, Miss Jameson, that tardiness is frowned upon? And take those glasses off while you're inside."

She gulped, trying to slow her breathing from the jog she just made. That normally wouldn't be a problem for her, but with her legs feeling almost like jello and her body still fogged down with sleep, it took a little more effort than normal. Teagan sighed and reached up to remove the glasses. He raised an eyebrow as he took in the sight of her injuries. "Are you all right?" he asked, pushing his glasses up and squinting at her.

A nervous blush began creeping up her cheeks. There was a room full of students and she didn't really want to go into detail of what had happened. "Yeah. Ran into some trouble last night on my way home from work."

Concern replaced the mild irritation. "Are you sure you're okay?" He looked about ready to dismiss her from the room if she didn't say something.

No, she wasn't. Her head was still killing her and she was pretty sure if she moved too much, she would lose what little was in her stomach. But she faked a smile and nodded once. She needed to pass her classes.

She ignored his disbelief and took her seat, trying to reign in her frazzled state.

* * *

 

Another hour saw Teagan heading to the lunch room. She would normally have her own healthy food, but being in the state she was didn't help her situation. And honestly, she wasn't hungry. She knew as soon as she ate anything she would probably throw it right back up. But she also knew she wouldn't last much longer without something.

So with mild apprehension, she grabbed an apple and a bottle of water before moving to sit on the large concrete wall. That was her favorite place to chill, especially during lunch. It wasn't long before she heard someone sit down beside her. Behind her glasses, her eyes widened. "Jason? What're you doin' here?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her. "I go to school here, dork."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I know that. I mean, what're you doing at this lunch period? I never see you with this group."

He shrugged. "A couple classes got postponed. Figured now was as good of a time as any to grab a bite." he said with a small smile. But his smile quickly fell when his eyes landed on her forehead. "What happened?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she said, feigning innocence. But his withering look made her drop her gaze to the ground. Along with Taylor, he was one of her closest friends. He was friends with her brother. They grew up around each other. Both of them were a couple years younger than her brother, so they were a little behind. When they both left for college, they unintentionally ended up in the same University. She was glad they did, because she didn't have a lot of people to fall back on.

"Tell me what happened, T." he said sternly, reaching up to take off her glasses.

She unintentionally flinched at the movement, a different, more dangerous gesture taking the place of his gentle one in her mind. He paused at her reaction and frowned. "T?"

Teagan sighed and took off the sunglasses, turning her head towards him. He could see through the makeup she put on and he gasped.

"On the way home last night, I was attacked." she muttered.

"What?!" he demanded.

"A few guys, I think they were Purple Dragons or something, cornered me in an alley. They beat me up pretty good. But someone who was walking by stopped them. Made sure I was okay and all."

Jason gave her a rather stern look. "What have I told you about walking alone by yourself in the alleys, especially at night?"

She sighed. "I know."

He continued to frown. "Who was the 'someone' who stopped them?"

She shrugged. "I didn't get a good look at his face. You know, my eye swollen shut and being in the dark and all." She tried to lighten the mood with a little joke, but he was obviously not in the mood. "I don't know. But whoever he was, I'm glad he stepped in."

Jason let out a frustrated sigh and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her from the side. "They better be glad I wasn't there."

She chuckled, but her mind was wandering elsewhere. She wasn't exactly sure why she didn't just tell him the truth, and that bothered her. Was it because she didn't want him to worry any more than he already was? Because she didn't want to face the reality of what happened?

Whatever the reason was, the piece of paper in her pocket suddenly felt like a ton of bricks that were weighing her down.

* * *

 


	3. Remember Every Scar - Escape the Fate

Teagan managed the avoid any more unwanted questions the rest of the day. But after a strict speech from Jason about being more careful and a rant about him wanting to protect her, she thought more about that night. She obviously knew that it wasn't a smart idea to be walking alone in the back allies of New York. But the thought of her actions hurting someone else was something she hadn't thought about before. Maybe she should be paying more attention. She sighed as she reached into her pocket again, feeling the paper crinkle between her fingers. She grabbed it and reread the note again, her bottom lip stuck between her teeth as she thought. A few seconds later, she paused in her steps and took out her phone, punching the numbers into a new contact. She added his name and saved it, still worrying her lip. Teagan told herself she was just keeping it in case of an emergency, but she would be lying if she said she didn't have any desire to contact him for the heck of it. After all, was there anything wrong with wanting to know a little more about the person who saved your life?

Still lost in thought, Teagan pushed the door to her dorm open, a faraway look in her eyes. As soon as the door closed, she was met with a screech.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Taylor demanded, marching up and grabbing Teagan, roughly pulling her into a hug.

Teagan was surprised to say the least. Her arms were pinned at her sides so she wasn't able to return the embrace. "Uh, classes?"

Taylor released her friend, an angry glare on her face. "Are you mental? T, you just went through a traumatic experience. You should still be sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth and sobbing your eyes out, not going to class like everything is fine!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Teagan ground out. She loved Taylor, she really did, but she couldn't deal with her overprotectiveness at the moment.

"Stay here and let me help you through this!"

"I don't know how!" she shouted back. Tears stung her eyes as she slowly hugged herself, looking back down at the floor. For as long as she could remember, that's how she dealt with things. She had inherited her mother's depression, anxiety, and addictive tendencies. Whenever something got her worked up or extremely stressed out, she would close herself off and just throw herself into work or school. When she was in highschool, her senior year was particularly bad. Because of her high stress, she got involved with any after school activity she could. Her homework was done ahead of time and with flying colors.

Her mother was the same way, but on occasion, her addictions turned to less productive things, like alcohol. She was clean most of the time, and with the right medications from her doctor and the support of her family, she was able to power through it. Teagan had similar treatments, but she thought she had gotten over a lot of it.

Taylor just sighed and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her best friend. "I'm sorry." she said quietly.

That almost broke Teagan. She should be the one apologizing, not Taylor. She was the one who ran away from her problems instead of trying to deal with them. She let a few stray tears fall, which opened the floodgates. Within moments, her makeup for the day had been ruined, and she was almost reduced to a puddle of emotions. "I'm sorry, Taylor." she choked out. "You're just trying to be a good friend, and I just screwed everything up, like always."

"Hey, listen to me, T." Taylor said, holding her friend's shoulders. "You have nothing to apologize for. I forgot this is how you deal with stress. Its not my place to demand anything else from you."

Teagan let the pent up tears fall, knowing she was safe. Her best friend wouldn't judge her, not after everything they've been through together.

* * *

Raphael sighed as he walked out of the hospital. Was this going to be the rest of their lives? Coming and going, each brother taking turns, then going through the motions of harsh training and workouts? He wasn't sure if he could handle that. Leo must've understood his inner turmoil because the eldest brother clapped him on the shoulder, a sympathetic look in his eyes before he took his position by the hospital bed. "Everything will work out eventually, Raph. We just have to have a little patience."

Raph scoffed at the thought. It amazed him how calm Leo could be in those types of situations. His older brother was one that could usually see the silver lining in whatever situation the found themselves in. He was always calm, cool, and collected. That probably had something to do with his meditation routine, and Raph envied that. Because no matter how many different methods he tried, he couldn't handle it. Being alone with his thoughts, trapped inside his head, was something he had never been able to do. Especially in times like these. He had a fierce temper that could easily be turned on himself. He spent a lot of late nights alone in the dojo, pounding his fists into the punching bag while at the same time pounding the merciless words into his head.

He sighed as he looked down at the text from Donnie, letting him know his two youngest brothers were heading back to the warehouse they had affectionately named the Lair. Raph ran a hand through his shaggy hair and took a deep breath before starting to walk again. He had to be strong for his brothers. He hated showing any sort of emotion that made him look weak. He and Leo were the two rocks in the family. They were the supports that Mikey and Donnie could lean on without fear of breaking them.

But Raph feared he was getting close to his breaking point.

Keeping all of the negative emotions he felt bottled up inside, he was almost a ticking time bomb. After all, he was only human, and there was only so much a human could handle. He knew he was largely to blame for what happened, and the guilt seemed to be eating him from the inside out. He put all of his anger guilt, and frustration into his training, knowing that was the only extremely productive thing he could do. If he didn't let it out on something productive, his rage would be turned on his brothers, and he didn't know if he would be able to handle the aftermath of that. His thoughts kept him occupied as his feet carried him towards the warehouse, ready to start his afternoon and evening routine. As he prepped himself and his brothers for their Katas, he wondered what kind of trouble they could find tonight.

There wasn't a whole lot the police could do about the situation; the Dragons and Karai owned most of the force. The boys in blue were under their thumbs and used like puppets. Raphael and his brothers were what stood between the city and the darkness that threatened to take over. Sure, that sounded a little overdramatic, but when dealing with the remnants of the Foot, one could never be too careful. The clan was dangerous and formidable, and one should never underestimate them. The Hamato brothers learned that the hard way.

"Dude, what do you say about a little fun after patrol?" Mikey piped up.

Raph grunted in response. "What did you have in mind?"

Mikey beamed, glad his older brother was listening. He wanted to do everything he could to help out in their situation, and being his lighthearted self was the best way he knew how to do that, even if he was hurting just as much as his brothers. "How 'bout laser tag and a movie?"

Donnie pursed his lips, bringing hid arms down in an arc. "That's not a bad idea. With everything we've been dealing with, we could use a break."

"See what Fearless has to say." Raph said, turning his focus back to his Katas. He wanted to be in tip top shape for whatever they might face, and this was the only way he knew how to do that. His eyes flicked to the left when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Raph..." Mikey began.

Raph opened his mouth to snap at the youngest, who was only 18, but the genuine concern on Mikey's face made Raph pause long enough to listen.

"You've barely left the house or the Lair for anything beside patrol and the hospital. Even Leo has been out more than you. Don't you think its time for a break?" he suggested gently.

Raphael sighed. Maybe Mikey was right. "Yeah. Okay." he conceded, his gaze dropping back to the ground. But his heart wasn't really in it. He didn't deserve a break after everything that had happened. Sensei had told him on many occasions that his temper would get him in trouble one day, and he didn't listen. But Sensei was right. After what happened, he deserved every beating from the Foot, every harsh word from Leo, and every blow from his conscience that he got. He didn't think he deserved a break. He didn't deserve the kindness of his brothers. But, if it made Mikey happy, he would do it. Not for himself, but for his family.

* * *

"I think I want to go to work." Teagan said, looking up from her tablet to Taylor, who was on the other side of the room.

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked.

Teagan bit her lip but nodded. Of the two of them, she was the one with the best paying job. They had to split the cost of groceries as it was, and she knew Taylor couldn't handle it all on her own. "Yeah. Jason is working tonight. He can walk me there and home. I need to stay busy, otherwise its going to sink in. If that happens, I'll be useless for several weeks."

Teagan was done with the tears. She had accepted what happened, but she also knew that she was okay. No permanent damage was done, and those men weren't going to come after her again. But, like her mother, if she dwelled on something bad, it would seep into her thoughts and kick in a little bit of paranoia. If that happened, Teagan knew that she would close herself off and not let anyone in. She would be stuck in her dorm for three or more weeks. She wouldn't be able to function. She would have to have someone to remind her to eat, sleep, and shower. Most likely, she would fall behind in all her classes and there was the strong chance of her being kicked out.

She knew that from experience. It had happened in her freshman year of highschool. Her parents were there to help her through it, but it was never easy. She had shut herself down for five weeks. She didn't speak, she barely ate, and she got really sick. By the time she was well enough to go back to school, she was only about a hundred pounds soaking wet. The bullying continued until she finally learned how to dish out as good as she got. Being a sick and small fourteen year old, she didn't pose much of a threat. But when she landed a solid punch to the senior's nose, breaking it, and verbally standing up for herself, it stopped. He and his crew left her alone after that, but that didn't stop the nasty looks she received the rest of the year.

"Okay." Taylor said after a moment. "Call him and tell him."

"I saw him earlier. He knows what happened, and I don't think he'll be too happy to hear that I'm going to work. But I think he'll understand." she said as she reached for her phone. "I guess I'm going to need a new uniform too." she muttered.

Taylor nodded but looked at her friend in concern. As Teagan put the phone up to her ear, Taylor got up to head to the bathroom to give her some privacy. She was worried about her friend. She knew this was how she coped with things, but she didn't think it was healthy. She was no psychologist, but she knew there had to be some dangerous affects from what Teagan was doing. But, then again, she didn't know the full extent of her friend's condition.

Teagan sighed as she hung up from talking with Jason. He was feeling bad, but still planner on going to work. He was more than willing to make sure she got there safely, and like she predicted, he wasn't happy she was going, but he understood. With a bit of apprehension, she dialed the number of the diner. There were a few rings before someone answered.

_"Big Jim's diner, can I help you?"_

"Hey, Mae. Its Teagan. Um, is Jim around? I need to talk to him."

_"Hey! Yeah, let me go grab him, just a sec."_

"Thank you." she responded softly.

A few moments later, a new voice filled her ears. _"Hi, Teagan. What's up?"_

She took a deep breath before launching into an explanation. "Um, hey, Jim. I was wondering if you had a spare uniform lying around?"

_"Hmm, I think so. You're a medium, right?"_

"Yeah."

_"I've got a new one in the back. Is everything okay?"_

"There was an...accident...last night. I'm okay, but my uniform isn't." she said with a small chuckle. "I'm gonna be there tonight, though. So that's why I needed a new uniform."

_"What happened?"_

"Nothing major. A little bump on the head, but other than that, I'm okay."

He hummed in response, and she could tell he didn't really believe her. _"Only come in if you're sure, Teagan. You're a good worker and a sweet girl. If you need the night off, its okay."_

She smiled at his concern. "Its okay, Jim. I'll be there."

_"Okay."_ he drawled. _"I'll see you later."_

Teagan hung up the phone and sighed. "Hey, Taylor?"

"Yeah?" she responded, poking her head back in the room.

"Would you mind helping me with my makeup? I kinda need to cover up this shiner." she said with a small smile.

"Sure. Let's get started."

* * *

Several hours later, and Teagan was happily working in the diner. All the buzz kept her on her toes and her mind occupied. It was getting close to the end of her shift, and she didn't really want to leave. She gave a smile to the people at a table while she picked up their glasses to refill them. When she reached the alcove, she saw Jason leaning against the wall, looking rather pale.

"Dude, are you okay?" she asked, setting down her tray. She stepped towards him and put her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up." she said. Another waitress came back and Teagan turned her attention to the other woman. "Hey, Dana, can you take a refill back to table three for me? Two Dr. Peppers, a Coke, and a lemonade."

"Yeah, no problem." she said, giving Jason a concerned glance.

"Thank you!" Teagan turned back to Jason, pulling him to his feet. "Come on. You're going home. I'll cover for you." she said.

Panic flashed across his face. "What about you?"

"Don't worry. I have a friend I can call. YOU, mister, need to go home and go to bed." she said, walking him through the kitchen and to the back door. "I'll tell Jim what happened. And I've got your tables, don't worry."

He gave her a tired smile. "Thanks, T. You're the best."

She grinned back at him. "I know."

Teagan made sure he got out of the building with his coat and was walking in the direction of the dorms before quickly finding Jim and explaining. She then went back to work, another smile plastered on her face before meeting her patrons.

Two hours later, at nine, she was done. Keeping track of two sets of tables was somewhat of a challenge, but she managed it with only one mistake in drink orders. She frowned as she realized it was time for her to go home. She glanced down at her phone, biting her already damaged lip. She winced as her teeth dug in a little too hard. It looked like that was her only option. She made her way to the back where it was relatively quiet and found his contact. Her finger hovered over his name momentarily before she pressed call.

Three dial tones passed before his rough voice came through the speaker.

_"Hello?"_

"Raphael?" she asked, somewhat surprised that he answered.

_"Who's askin'?"_

She noticed for the first time that he had a thick accent which made his already deep voice more attractive. "Its Teagan." she said after a moment. "You gave me your number last night."

There was a quiet grunt. _"Are you okay? Did those Dragons come back?"_

"I'm okay..." she said. "But I don't exactly want to walk home in the middle of the night by myself. My friend got really sick and had to leave early. He was supposed to walk me home, but-"

_"Where are you?"_ he interrupted.

"The diner, Big Jim's. On the corner of Fifth and Main."

_"I'll be there in ten. Stay put."_

Teagan blinked in surprise as the line went dead. She was more than a little surprise that he was willing to help her. But hey, who was she to complain?


	4. Street Fight - Smallpools

A vibration in her pocket drew Teagan's attention while she was putting on her jacket. She pulled her phone out and the screen lit up with a message coming from Raphael's number.

_I'm here_

A small smile took over her features. She grabbed her other belongings and said goodbye to Jim.

"Be careful, okay, kid?" he said, giving her a concerned glance.

She smiled brightly at the older man. "Sure thing, boss." Teagan slowly made her way outside, her eyes searching for the black clad figure. Her phone buzzed once she rounded the corner and she looked down at the new message.

_Look up_

Her steel colored eyes tilted upwards, searching the shadows of the night. She saw a figure crouched on the small balcony and she raised an eyebrow. "You gonna stay up there all night or are ya gonna come down and say hi?" she called.

In a swift and fluid motion, he dropped and landed in a crouch in front of her. When he stood to his full height he towered over her, and she just stared up at him with a goofy grin. His bright green eyes stood out against the red of the bandanna, slight apprehension shining in their depths. "Hi." he said quietly.

"Hey."

He glanced behind her making sure they were hidden in the shadows. "Why are you working?" he asked, a sudden sternness taking over his rough tone. "You were pretty beat up last night. You shoulda stayed home."

She shrugged as she took in his appearance. The only color in his black outfit was the red mask and a red belt tied around his hips which housed two three pronged blades. "I need to stay busy." she said quietly, suddenly becoming aware of why she called him in the first place. "Look, I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of the night, I'm sure you have better things to do, but I-"

He cut her off with a sharp look. "I told ya ta call if you needed anything."

She glanced at the ground, doubting her decision once again. "Yeah, but aren't you too busy to walk a stupid girl back to her dorm?"

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "You think I would've showed up if I didn't mean it when I said call if you need anything?"

She nodded absentmindedly, now aware of his irritation. Teagan had always been one to easily pick up on other's feelings, which in situations like this, made her rather uncomfortable. "Sorry." she mumbled, adjusting the small bag on her shoulder.

The harsh look he wore softened. He knew exactly what she meant. If he let something simmer inside for too long, he became restless and unable to focus. Maybe it was the same for her. "Lead the way." he said, turning to the side to allow her to walk past him. She did so, the converse on her feet making little sound on the wet pavement.

"Thank you, Raphael." she said quietly, not knowing what else to say in the silence that suddenly fell over them.

"Raph." he grunted. "Call me Raph. And you're welcome."

Teagan glanced up at him. She guessed he was more of the strong and silent type, either being too uncomfortable with conversation or just not knowing how to do it. "So, what's with the fancy ninja getup?" she asked, noticing his attire.

He raised an eyebrow, though it couldn't be seen from under the tattered mask. "Its called a Keikogi." he muttered.

"Fine, what's with the fancy Keikogi?" she amended.  
   
"Its a traditional Japanese combat suit, specifically designed for martial artists."

"So...are you a ninja?"

He paused in his steps beside her, giving her a funny look. "Um...I guess?"

She rolled her eyes. "I just assumed, what with you wearing traditional Japanese clothes, carrying ninja weapons, being completely silent and blending in with the shadows, and knowing how to knock several guys flat on their butts." she said. "Or maybe I was just misinterpreting the signals."

Raph raised an eyebrow once again as he followed her, surprised by her sudden spunk. A snort escaped and Teagan flashed a glance at him, that being the closest thing to a laugh she had heard.

"I may be totally overstepping my bounds here, but why are you doing this?"

"Doin' what?"

"Stalking through the shadows at night, keeping people relatively safe, stopping thugs like last night, that sort of thing."

His green eyes examined her and he pursed his lips slightly, gauging why exactly she was asking. Maybe it was just because she was curious or maybe it was for another reason. But, whatever it was, Raph had the inexplicable urge to trust her. She had an aura of innocence but one that also radiated strength. He had the sense that she had been through a lot in her lifetime, more than the normal person would experience. Even through the split lip and blackened eye, her gentle smile was coaxing him out of his shell.

He sighed after a moment. "I just want ta help make the world a better place, ya know? I feel like if I can help do that, even if its just in a small way, I can make some sort of an impact, and maybe it won't be for nothing."

Teagan nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. She frowned as she realized they were no longer headed in the direction of her dorm building. Instead they had changed directions and were now headed towards a few back allies. Seeing the narrow and shadowed spaces, she unconsciously shifted towards the ninja beside her, uneasiness settling in the pit of her stomach.

"You okay, tiger?" he asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

Normally, she wouldn't have a problem being adventurous and travelling the scarcely used passages. But considering her extremely recent experience with the space, she wasn't too comfortable using them. She nodded tersely in response to his question, happy he was by her side. But she also felt rather stupid. Here she was, putting her faith and trust in a man she had met the previous night with no former knowledge about him. True he had saved her from a less than appetizing fate, but at the same time, she had no idea what his intentions were. He could very well be luring her back to finish her off himself.

She wasn't sure how long they travelled for, but it was obvious they were coming to an end to the journey down the allies. While she was consumed by the dark and troubling thoughts, she didn't notice him reaching for her. When his hand clasped around her shoulder she had to bit back a scream, tears instantly springing into her eyes. Seeing her reaction to the simple gesture he recoiled, not knowing what to do with the terrified girl in front of him.

"Hey, its okay." he said with a small frown, concern obvious on his features. "It's just me. I'm not gonna hurt'cha."

Seeing her surroundings had changed into the familiar scenery near Central Park and hearing the calming tone in which he spoke sent relief flooding through her body. Without realizing what she was doing and trying to find an anchor for herself, she reached out to him. Surprised by the gesture, he allowed her to pull him into a hug, her arms tight around his torso. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, his arms hovering over her small frame. But a few seconds later as he felt her body begin to vibrate with her silent sobs, he slowly rested his arms around her back.

Thankfully they were still hidden in the shadows, not that there were many people in Central Park at 10 at night. But he would rather be safe than sorry.

"It's okay." he said quietly. "You're safe."

Moments later she managed to calm herself down, pulling her mind from the fog of what she identified as a near panic attack. She still clung to Raphael like he was her lifeline, twisting the back of his Keikogi in her fists. In a sense, he was. His voice and touch had grounded her back into the real world, pulling her back from the dark recesses of her mind. He didn't seem to mind as she stood there, regaining her composure while still holding onto him. A couple minutes later she released her hold, pulling away and looking like nothing had happened.

He was more than a little perplexed about her actions. She had been on the verge of a breakdown minutes ago, but now here she was, eyes completely dry and no longer bloodshot. He wondered why she had learned to control herself so quickly.

Teagan was more than a little embarrassed about her little display. She wasn't one to open herself up like that willy nilly. Especially with a random stranger, hugging him like her life depended on it. She cleared her throat awkwardly, wanting to get past the situation as quickly as possible.

"You okay?" he asked, regarding her with keen eyes.

Teagan smiled softly and nodded once. "I am now. Thank you. Also, thanks for not freakin out on me. That would've made it a lot worse and a lot more awkward."

He shrugged. Panic attacks were nothing new for him to deal with. He had helped Mikey through many a rough night, induced mainly by nightmares and the horrors they faced during their...endeavors... He was accustomed to keeping his calm under extremely stressful situations, and this was no different. But he hadn't expected her to come through so quickly. "No problem." he said, still eyeing her to make sure she was completely okay before totally releasing her. "I've dealt with my fair share of anxieties. No worries, tiger."

She looked up at him with a thoughtful look. "Tiger?"

"Would you prefer Tigger?"

She scrunched her nose up at the thought and a rumble came from him, reverberating through his chest. It surprised her to say the least.

"Tigger it is then." he said with a smile. She rolled her eyes at him as he completely released her. "So, what're ya studying?" he asked. Even though the attack had subsided, he knew it was still a good idea to keep her mind otherwise occupied.

She grinned. "My Major is English Language and Literature. Because I had to have something to Minor in, I chose Psychology. All the other fun classes were taken."

He raised an eyebrow which made the red fabric bunch up slightly. "Interesting combination. Why major in English?"

She giggled. "I know. Its really awkward when I get my notes confused on the subjects and I'm trying to turn an English thesis into a Psychology report. I chose English because as corny as it sounds, I want to be an author."

"Heh, cool. What do you write?"

"Mostly sci-fi. I've currently got half a manuscript done about time travelling rebels trying to overthrow a government."

"What's it called?"

She pursed her lips. "I've been trying to figure that out. The title's gotta be perfect, ya know. But...I've been thinking about Timeless. Has a nice ring to it. Why?"

He nodded once. "I've gotta know the name of the book so I can read it once it's published, duh."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "How do you even know its gonna be published?"

He snorted. "From what I can tell, you're a pretty determined woman. If you want something done, I'm sure you'll find a way to do it." he said.

"Thanks. I think..." she muttered. She hadn't even realized they began walking again until he led her though one of the side gates in Central Park. "So, is it just you doing this vigilante thing, or are there others?"

He gave her a thoughtful look, his piercing green eyes appraising her once again. "There's four of us." he said eventually. "Me and my brothers."

"Dude, that's so awesome." she said, looking at the dark but beautiful landscape in front of her. She had always loved Central Park, but this was the first time she had seen it in the middle of the night. "I wish my brother would take an interest in doing something with me." she muttered.

"You got a brother?" he asked curiously.

She snorted. "If you could call it that. We used to be really close when we were younger. Now I'm closer to his best friend than him. I haven't seen Finn in...four years." she said, pursing her lips. "Haven't spoken in that long either. When he took off for college, things started going down hill. He got really distant with me and our parents. I guess we just fell apart. We used to be inseparable. Now I don't even know where he is. Last I heard from Jason, he was in Chicago."

Raph frowned. "Why would he do that?" He couldn't understand it. He and his brothers were all they had. It wad them against the world. He didn't know if he would be able to handle it if Leo up and left, abandoning the rest of them. He knew it would crush Mikey. Knowing how close knit his family was and thinking about how close Teagan and this Finn used to be made his blood boil. What kind of brother would abandon his family? He paused, noticing the sudden rage that shook him to the core. What made him think he had the right to be protective of the young woman?

Teagan shrugged again. "I don't know. And frankly, I don't really care anymore. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

His frown deepened. He knew how rough the world could be and if Teagan had a brother that could help protect her from that, he should darn well be doing his job. Maybe then incidents like last night wouldn't've happened. A small growl escaped his lips and he unconsciously clenched his fists. If Finn wasn't gonna man up and be around to do his job, Raph would do it himself.

"So, do you like, have a day job?" Teagan asked, suddenly changing the subject. She paused in her steps and her steel blue eyes gazed up at his bright green ones. "Being a ninja vigilante probably doesn't pay all that well."

He snorted, half a chuckle half scoff. It was an odd sound but Teagan knew right away it was perfect for his personality. "Mechanic." he said, beginning to walk again. The trees rustled around them in the breeze, and suddenly Raph felt like an idiot. Teagan was wearing her uniform which offered her little protection from the chilled air, especially if the wind picked up. He noted the same faded leather jacket she wore and now a pair of dark blue leggings adorned her legs. But the wind cut through the material and sent a small shiver down her spine. He mentally cursed himself. His Keikogi offered him all the protection he needed, the material being thicker and heavier than it looked. But Teagan was probably freezing to death as he walked them all throughout the park. As he thought about this, he unconsciously shifted so that his body would block most of the wind from her and changed their direction to head back to the college dorms. He glanced up at the moon, knowing he would need to head back soon anyways. It was going to be his turn at the hospital in a couple hours and he wanted to be completely alert to his surroundings.

"I would ask you what you do, but I can take a pretty good guess." he said gruffly.

Teagan rolled her eyes but noticed the slight changes he made. "Yeah, top of the line, first class, highest paid waitress you'll ever meet." she said sarcastically. "Real career I'm making for myself."

Raph shrugged. "Hey, if it pays your bills for now, until your book becomes a best seller, you need it."

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You have a lot of confidence in my writing skills, or lack thereof, don't you?"

He threw her a glance. "Course I do. I can see how much passion you have for it. If you're passionate and determined, you can have the world at your feet."

She gently bit her lip, her thoughts wandering slightly. They walked for a few moments in silence, the both of them comfortable with the others company and feeling no need to fill the air with mindless conversation. It wasn't long until they had reached the apartment buildings. If she was being honest, Teagan would much rather continue her walk with Raphael, but she knew she was going to need all the sleep she could get. She knew the impending nightmares would keep her awake long enough, so she would need to try and sleep for as long as she could before the gruesome terrors would begin to plague her already troubled mind.

"Aside from these late night excursions, do you think we'll be seeing any more of each other?" she asked, trying to prolong their conversation any way she could.

The ninja in front of her shrugged. "You've got my number, Tigger. Like I said, you need anything _, call me_. I mean it. And don't be constantly apologizing for calling. Got it?"

She grinned and nodded, her short platinum hair bouncing with her head. "Sure. Thanks again, Raph. For everything."

He gave her a small smile and his eyes lit up from behind his ragged red mask. "You got it."

He slowly backed away, blending into the shadows as he did. Teagan watched him completely disappear in amazement. She then quietly shook her head and turned to walk up the stairs towards her dorm, thinking about her masked savior the entire time.


	5. Help - Papa Roach

Raphael dropped into the chair with a sigh, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. It wasn't quite long enough to put in a small pony tail, so it hung in his face slightly, which annoyed him to no end. He was going to have to get it cut. He had traded places with Leo with little talk, just a small nod and checking to see if his older brother needed anything. They had all been walking on eggshells, trying to figure out their next moves. Raph briefly wondered it it was all for naught. But he quickly pushed the thoughts aside when his green eyes landed on his Sensei. His hard gaze softened when he took in the still healing lacerations on the older man's face and chest. Taking down Shredder and the majority of the Foot was something to be proud of. But wasn't sure if the price they had to pay was worth it. He groaned as he shifted, taking in every bruise, cut, and broken bone his father sported.

_Why did I have to be so stupid?_ he thought. _Why couldn't I just listen?_

All four brothers knew there were going to be casualties in the war they were fighting against the Foot, but none of them were prepared for what they had experienced only a week and a half ago. Raphael hung his head in shame as the memories once again plagued him, the gruesome scenes becoming burned into his memory. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes, that was all he saw. He didn't think he could ever forgive himself for what had happened.

He sighed and sunk deeper into the chair. His mind began to wander as he sat there, staring at his broken Sensei. The words of self loathing he had become all too familiar with once again hammered themselves into his mind. If he hadn't have yelled at Leo for spending a little extra time with April, they never would've ended up in this situation. Tension had been running high as it was and each of them were as taught as a bowstring. It took very little to set them off, and even Mikey, the most lighthearted of the group, had been effected. And then Raph had to go and open up his big mouth.

He growled at the memory, realizing now how stupid and selfish he had been. But, they say hindsight is 20/20. He definitely believes it now. There wasn't anything he could do besides try and amend his mistakes. If it took him the rest of his life to do that, then so be it. All that mattered to him now was making sure his father was okay. As long as Raphael was still breathing, nothing would ever come close to hurting his sensei again.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "I really screwed up this time, Sensei." he muttered.

As he sat there, continuing his vigil through the night, he began to allow his mind to wander. The steady flow of harsh and demeaning words ceased for the time being as something else drew his attention. He believed he deserved every moment of the metal torment, but just for a moment, he believed he had managed to accomplish something good in the past few days. Teagan's steel blue eyes flashed in his memory, alight with passion and fire while she talked about what she wanted for the future. Admittedly, he knew it was rather stupid of him to open himself up like a book to her. There was just something about her that made him gravitate towards her. She was an easy going person, and he figured she could easily tear down someone's walls within hours. Heck, she did it to him in minutes. He had never met someone that took his guard down so easily. It should have made him more wary of her, but instead, she had the exact opposite effect.

When Raphael decides to intervene during a mugging or a robbery or something of the sort, he sticks around long enough to show the perp where the concrete was before once again taking off into the night. He had learned to make the shadows his friend, his ally. All four brothers knew not to hang around long enough for someone to get a good look at them. They knew what they were doing was dangerous and that it could put their friends and family in danger. The rarely stopped long enough to make sure the victim was okay before taking off into the night again. But as Raphael thought about the memory, he realized why he stopped. Seeing her small, unimposing, and terrified body shivering against the brick wall of a back alley sent a wave of anger coursing through him. Whoever decided they wanted to take her innocence, take her joy out of the world, didn't deserve to be called a man. If it hadn't been for her wide, terrified eyes, and her already traumatized mind, he probably would've put an end to them right then and there.

His nails dug into the palm of his hand as he clenched his fists. Seeing her cowering in fear made him stop and think. He realized he couldn't just leave her alone. It was that feeling that drove him to make sure she would be okay; walking her home and even providing her with a way to contact him. He wondered what in the world possessed him to give her his number in the first place. He normally guarded that like his life depended on it. There was a very short list of people who were able to contact him; his brothers, April, Casey, and now Teagan.

When she called him earlier, he had been in the middle of getting himself, Mikey, and Donnie ready for their nightly patrol. He was sure they wondered where he disappeared to. It was rare that he and Leo left their younger brothers to patrol the city alone. He figured he would probably be questioned about his disappearance later. But he thought that getting to spend a little over an hour with Teagan, getting to know her a little more and even opening up about himself a little, was worth it. Their little outing also gave him a small reprive from his self loathing and anger. Teagan's attitude and demeanor, despite everything she had been through in the last 24 hours, had a calming effect on the hotheaded ninja. And in the little time he spent with her, he decided to make it his personal mission to make sure she was going to be around to give a little light to the dark world they lived in.

Raph's eyes fell on the clock above the hospital bed. It was almost four in the morning. He blinked a few times, not realizing how deep in thought he had been. He managed to stifle the first yawn that tried to take over, but he couldn't fight the second one. Sighing, he sank deeper into the uncomfortable chair, trying to find a position he could catch a few hours of sleep. He had a feeling Leo was going to have a fit if he found out about Teagan. He lazily nodded to the nurse that came in to check on Splinter, closing his eyes once she left the room, satisfied the older man was comfortable.

* * *

Raphael woke to his phone buzzing in his pocket. With a quiet groan he reached into his leather jacket to pull out the small device. He scrubbed a hand down his face as he tried to clear the fog from his mind. There was a message from Donnie, letting him know his brother was on his way. In the week and a half that their father had been in the hospital, the four brothers took turns keeping a watch over him. Raphael took every turn he could, the guilt weighing heavily on his mind. He knew he should be the one there 24/7, but Leo would never allow it. Leo knew how badly Raph was beating himself up over the whole situation, and he also knew that if his hotheaded brother spent too much time by their father's bedside, it was highly possible Raph could lose touch with what was happening in the world around him. In a way, Raphael was grateful for his brother's protectiveness, but at the same time, he grew rather tired of it. After all, he was a big boy. He could handle it. Or, so he thought. Even as he stood to stretch out his now aching muscles, seeing his battered sensei added another crack to his already broken mind and heart.

He moved around the room, stretching out his legs and doing a few simple stretches to get his blood flowing. He headed out of the room and down the hall towards the elevator, intent on a cup of coffee. He found the cafeteria with relative ease and left a few minutes later with a coffee and some sort of a breakfast pastry that he wasn't sure what it contained. Raph quietly headed back to the room, keeping his silent vigil until Donnie showed up about ten minutes later.

"Go home Raph. It looks like you could use the rest." Donnie said, laying a hand on Raph's shoulder. "I'll call you if anything changes."

"Thanks, Don." Raph said, holding back a yawn, but unable to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.

Donnie gave his brother a crooked grin. "No problem. Leo and Mikey headed out early, so you'll have the house to yourself."

Raph nodded and said goodbye before going outside. He squinted as the sunlight hit him. He definitely needed some sleep. He managed to track down a cab and make it back to the house before completely crashing.

He woke several hours later in the living room, uncomfortably lying on the couch. He groaned as he sat up, popping his neck as he did so. He stretched for a couple minutes before heading to the kitchen in search of some food. It was about two in the afternoon and the only thing he had that morning was a small scone. He rubbed one eye as he opened the fridge to grab a leftover burger. If he was being honest, he felt like he could sleep for another eight hours. But he knew he couldn't. He had a lot of work to do and if his timing was right, he might be able to avoid the unwanted questions from his only older brother. But just as he finished off the last of his cold lunch and headed for the stairs, the door shut with a click. It was a quiet sound but it made him flinch nonetheless.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Leo walking in. "Hey, man." Leo said. "Are you just now getting some food?" he asked, taking in his brother's exhausted and rugged appearance.

Raph sighed and nodded, glancing at the clock on the stove. He should be heading over to the Lair. "Yeah."

Leo sighed as he appraised his brother. "Raph, you can't keep doing this to yourself, man."

"Doing what?" he replied indignantly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Keeping these kinds of hours. Your up at least eighteen hours a day if not more. You're constantly pushing yourself in your training. You go out alone and none of us know where you are or when you'll be back. We're worried about you, bro."

Raphael let out a sigh of his own. "Thanks. But I'll be fine."

"Speaking of going out alone, Mike said you left before patrol. What was that about?"

He bit back a groan. He was really in no mood to deal with this right now. He was barely even able to hold himself up; how did Leo think he was capable of an argument at the moment? Then realization dawned on him. Leo knew how exhausted he was and knew he wouldn't want to put up much of a fight. That's why he approached him now. Any later and Raph would just dodge every question asked and any sooner and he would've tried to decapitate Leo. A wry grin fell across his lips. His brother was smart, he had to admit that.

"A friend needed help." he grunted, hoping Leo would be satisfied. But as always, he was wrong.

"What friend?" Leo asked, more confused than anything else as a frown crossed his face. "Casey called Don lookin' for you. April was working. Who'd you go help?"

Raph ground his teeth. He was trying his best to curb his rapidly igniting temper. He knew the last thing he needed was another argument with the oldest. But Leo's insistent questions weren't doing anyone any favors. "Someone I met a while ago." He didn't want to go into any detail but he knew Leo would continue to press him.

Leo, for his part, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, man. I know this might be your way of coping, but you can't keep disappearing like that. What would've happened if Mikey and Don ran into the Foot while you were off doing God knows what? Would you have even known that they were in trouble?"

Raph bristled at the accusation. "Look Leo, you might be the oldest but you can't just boss me around when it suits you."

"I never said-"

"And another thing! You're only ever on my back. You couldn't care less what Mikey and Donnie do, heck, they could get away with murder and you wouldn't bat an eye. So do yourself a favor and get off my case before we both do something we'll regret." Raphael snapped, his tone more venomous than Leo had heard in a while.

Hurt flashed across Leo's face. All he was trying to do was make sure his brother was okay. But as always, things came out wrong and Raphael's defenses immediately flew up once again. Leo sighed in defeat as Raphael stormed past him and slammed the door as he left. "How am I supposed to get through to him?" he muttered to himself. Ever since the accident, they all noticed that Raph had been more withdrawn than usual. His fuse was easily lit and hard to put out. He seemed to explode over the smallest thing. But he never took his anger out on his brothers. He would leave for several hours, sometimes all night, and come back with bloodied knuckles, a black eye, and sometimes blood staining his Keikogi. Leo wondered how much longer Raph could keep going like that. He had to be reaching his breaking point. But at the moment, they all had to be on their toes around their hotheaded brother. He sighed as he sat down at the island, running a hand through his hair. He needed to figure out a way to reach Raph. It was true that the two of them had their falling outs, which happened more often than not these days, but Leo still wanted the best for his brothers. He was going to do everything he could to make sure they all made it out of this ordeal, even if it meant more bad blood between himself and his second brother. At this particular moment, there was nothing he cared about more than his brothers and his Sensei.

He glanced at the time. He had several hours to kill before he needed to head back to the hospital. Unless Raph decided to switch up the schedule again. That was another thing that Leo had noticed. He knew Raphael blamed himself for what happened, but that wasn't entirely true. But that didn't stop him from beating himself up and tormenting himself by staying in that hospital room for days on end. Leo briefly wondered if he would ever be able to get through to Raph.

He decided to get a shower and a fresh pair of clothes before making his way back towards the hospital. If he could help it, he was going to keep Raph out of the suffocatingly small room for as long as possible. Once he was done, he threw together a bag to take with him. He and his brothers were roughly the same size and it wasn't unheard of for one of them (Raphael in particular) to spend days on end stuck in the hospital room with their father. He figured a bag with a change of clothes and a razor would be helpful to keep in the room for times like those. He made his way out of the house by five that evening. Slowly, he wandered the streets, looking for the long way around. His mind was particularly troubled, and even meditation hadn't helped. He figured some "fresh" city air would help to clear his head. He took a deep breath of the chilled air and slowly exhaled, allowing a sense of calm to wash over his senses. Which was surprisingly easy, considering the city environment that surrounded him. Eventually, Leo found himself standing outside a small diner. He glanced at his phone and decided he had enough time to grab a quick bite. So he stepped inside the small yet busy building and was quickly seated by a bubbly hostess.

He sat in a booth by a window, the dying sunlight streaming in only to slowly be replaced by the ever glowing city lights. As he was looking over the menu, the waitress walked up to him.

"Hey there. What can I get'cha to drink?" she asked.

Leo glanced up when he noticed the forced cheerfulness in her voice. While she smiled at him, he noticed it didn't reach her steel blue eyes. He cleared his throat after a moment. "Just a water, please."

"Sure thing." She turned on her heel and he noticed the way her hips swayed in the short dress uniform she wore. He quietly shook his head. He didn't know how women could stand wearing those things. If her movements easily drew his eyes, he wondered how much more unwanted attention she and the other waitresses received. But he also noticed that while the other waitresses wore dressy flats and a face full of make-up, she wore a pair of black leggings under the dress, faded black converse, and the bare minimum of make-up. He looked back down at the menu, trying to decide what he wanted. He almost jumped in surprise at the sudden hand that crossed his vision. He looked up to see her setting a glass down on the table. There weren't many people that could sneak up on him like that.

"There ya go." she said with another fake smile. Upon slightly closer inspection, Leo noticed the still prominent ring of a blackened eye. She had tried to cover it with makeup and succeeded for the most part. He thought if anyone wasn't paying close enough attention, they would miss it. Her voice drew his attention once again. "My name's Teagan, and I'll be your server tonight."

"Thanks." he said softly. "Any suggestions? This is literally the first time I've been in here. What's good?"

Another soft smile crossed her features but this time, it made her eyes light up a little. "Personal opinion? Definitely the beer burger. We have the best one this side of Manhattan. And if you wanna totally go crazy? Add some chili fries with it. Might sound a little weird, but its definitely the best thing you can get as far as comfort food. If you want something healthier, the Caesar salad is pretty awesome."

He chuckled. "You know what, comfort food sounds pretty great right now."

"Great! Anything else for ya?"

"I don't think so, but thank you."

She grinned again. "That'll be ready in about ten minutes." She turned and walked away, scribbling on her notepad as she did so. Leo just smiled to himself, happy that he could make someone else genuinely smile. He would've preferred if it had been Raph, but he knew that was too far fetched to even think about. Raphael seemed determined to stay in his pit of misery. As much as Leo hated it, he had to learn to be content with letting him stay there. As he sat there waiting for his food, he noticed the diner was slowly emptying out with no new customers to replace them. He wondered if this place was designed more for the late night workers and college students. If he had to peg her, he would even say his waitress was a student. Part time jobs for students were hard to come by and he figured a server would be as good as they could find.

She appeared within a few more minutes, his order in hand. "One beer burger deluxe." she said with a grin, setting it down in front of him. He returned the smile, glad to see that hers was more genuine this time around.

"Thanks." he said. "You look like you could use a break. Wanna sit?" She glanced down at the small black watch that was around her right wrist before nodding once, a soft smile still on her face. "I'm Leo, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." she said. "So, what brought you to this little hole in the wall?" As she said that, she gestured to the small building. He had to admit, it did look a lot like one of the mom and pop diners they had seen in Northampton.

He chuckled. "I'm actually going to see my Dad. He's not too far away from here, actually." he replied, not wanting to go into a lot of detail.

"Cool. My shift ends in an hour and then I get to go home and study. Yay me." she replied with a sarcastic eye roll.

"I know there's a University nearby...are you a student?"

She nodded, running a hand through her spiked platinum hair. "Yeah. I'm a sophomore actually. Two more years of torture to go."

He raised an eyebrow. "It almost sounds like you don't want to go to school."

"Really? What gave you that impression?"

Leo snorted in response. "I get it. That's actually part of the reason I didn't go to college. Too much time wasted on learning worthless algebra equations when I needed to spend time on more important things."

She nodded her understanding. "What's got you wanting comfort food, if you don't mind my asking?"

He bit back a groan. He was beginning to enjoy his conversation with her. But he couldn't blame her. She didn't know about the troubles he had been having with his family. He tried to play it off as being nonchalant as he shrugged his shoulders. "My brother and I don't exactly see eye to eye on things."

"Understandable. Younger or older?"

"Younger."

She hummed quietly. "My brother and I are like that now. He's a few years older than I am. But he's stubborn as heck and refuses to admit when he's wrong." she said with a quiet snort.

"Sounds like my brother."

"I think that siblings are just destined to never agree on anything, don't ya think?"

He nodded quickly, knowing the exact feeling. He pushed a few fries towards her, which she gladly accepted with a mutter of thanks. "What are you going to school for?"

"Psychology." she responded, pursing her lips. "Useful in my line of work."

He raised an eyebrow. "Waitressing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Because every waitress needs to be able to get into the customer's heads to read their mind instead of asking their order."

Leo shrugged. "You seemed to read my mind pretty well."

Teagan smiled again. "Nah, I've learned to spot a definitely-not-okay person wearing a tough guy mask." she said with a light chuckle. "Besides, you have this whole brooding thing down to a T."

"I don't brood." he said with a frown.

"Whatever you say, Leo."

"Hey, T! I'm going on break, can you cover for me?"

Teagan groaned when she heard the voice. "Sure, Carol. Be right there." She turned back to Leo. "Duty calls. Thanks for the fries."

He grinned back at her. "No problem. Have fun."

Teagan snorted as she walked away, rolling her eyes at his comment. She couldn't wait for her shift to be over. Acting as a robot, she mindlessly went about her tasks, bussing tables and taking orders. Whenever she would glance over at the booth to see if Leo had gone, he was still there. She had refilled his water a few times and already cleaned off the table, leaving him to stare out at the dying sunlight. She shook her head at him. Nice guy, but a little odd.

When her phone vibrated in her pocket signaling the end of her shift, she sighed in relief. She sent off a quick text to Raph to let him know she was done before clicking out and grabbing her leather jacket from the back. She picked up the small shoulder bag she carried and checked her phone again when she saw the screen light up.

_Already here, Tigger. Same spot as last night._

She grinned down at the screen before briefly wondering why she was so excited. She shook it off and headed back through the dining room to the main exit. And Leo was still sitting there. When he saw her come out, he stood with a small smile while shoving his hands in his pockets. "Hey. Need a walk home? Its on my way."

She smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but my friend's here. He's waiting for me outside."

"Okay. Stay safe, Teagan. Have a good night." he said, flashing her another soft smile before walking out the door and heading on his way. Teagan quietly shook her head and followed a few seconds later, waiting for Raphael to drop out of the shadows.

* * *

 


	6. It's Not Easy - John Ondrasik

The pounding music helped to block out the rest of the world. He stared up at the underbelly of the bike, his biceps straining against the force he was using to pry off the piston. Raph glared as it popped off a moment later. It was easy to tell what the problem was, the rust and acid corrosion plainly visible. He sighed and wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt, leaving a small trail of grease. He grumbled quietly when he heard his phone go off, letting him know he had a message. He dropped the broken piston on his work bench with a thud and grabbed one of the many rags to wipe his hands. He was expecting a message from Fearless with something to do with his disappearance for the night. Leo had backed off considerably after Raphael's outburst in the kitchen. But he still liked to check in when Raph didn't come home. Which, honestly, Raph didn't care as long as Leo left him alone foe the most part. But he was pleasantly surprised to see the screen lit up with a notification for Tigger. He let a half smile show on his face as he picked up the phone.

_Hey, u busy?_

He typed out a quick response, watching the three little dots bounce as it sent.

_Not overly. Just at work. What's up?_

It only took a few seconds for her to answer. _Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to bother you_

He rolled his eyes and slung the grease rag over his shoulder _. How many times do I have to tell you that you're not a bother? I swear if I have to say it again, you won't get your present._

He laughed at her answer. _...present?_

Raph felt a grin slowly beginning to cross his lips as his fingers quickly tapped against the screen _. Yes, present. You'll get it tonight. Normal time?_

She didn't answer for a while, which gave him time to continue working. When she did, the sudden noise made him jump, resulting in a loud curse echoing through the shop as he rubbed the now sore spot on his head. He heard a distant chuckle and knew it was Ryan, young owner of the shop and at the moment, one of Raph's few friends. "Shuddup!" he called, muttering to himself as he set the wrench back on the workbench before picking up his phone.

_Actually, I get off a couple hours early tonight. Taylor is spending the night in a friend's dorm to study, so if you wanted to...stay, ya know, you could. We can watch bad horror movies and laugh at the fake blood?_

He raised an eyebrow at that. He had been spending extra time with Teagan in the last week. He started walking her to work as well, not just from. He stayed hidden in the shadows away from prying eyes, but he always kept her within earshot. He was beginning to sense the start of a unique friendship. She didn't judge him based on what other people thought of him and his brothers, that much he figured out. She was kind and adorable, always happy and even managed to lift his own rapidly darkening spirits. He had told her that she could call or text him any time day or night, and she was slowly getting more comfortable with the idea. She began opening up to him, and he returned the favor. But there was a silent, unspoken line that neither of them crossed. He always kept his mask on. Always. She had silently accepted that fact, realizing that it was going to be a long time before he trusted her enough to show her the man under the mask. She had never pushed her limits, unless he counted her playfully tugging at the tails of his tattered red bandanna. He didn't mind it all that much, but this was new. He had expected her to ask at one point or another, and in her own awkward and nerdy way, which is exactly what she did. The thought of her nervously crossing her arms, one poor thumbnail between her teeth being torn to shreds as she nervously awaited his response made him smile softly. Maybe it was time for him to start trusting her more. Just a bit. He was surprised at himself as he pressed the send button before he could change his mind, another one of Leo's lectures running through his head.

_I guess a movie or two wouldn't be out of the question. As long as your roommate doesn't walk in on you and some masked weirdo throwing popcorn at each other, it should all go smoothly :P_

He was subtly telling her that while he was willing to take another slow step, he wasn't quite there yet. The last person that had learned the brothers' secret ended up with a bullet to the shoulder. He wasn't willing to take that risk with Teagan yet. While she was an amazingly strong person in his book, he didn't think she would be strong enough to handle the kind of things the Foot and the Purple Dragons would throw her way if they ever found out about her. The more he thought about it, the more Raphael realized that he was being just as stupid spending time with her as the red banded ninja. He knew Karai was trying to track their movements. He had to take out a number of tails, all of which were sloppy and untrained. But it seemed to just now hit him that before he took them out, one of the tails could've reported back to the black haired Kunoichi that an unknown female was spending time with the ninja. He silently cursed his stupidity, his jaw clenching in anger as he looked down at the phone when it buzzed once again.

_Great! I get off at eight tonight. I'll even spring for burgers to take home_

His anger slowly melted away as he read her words. Her bright outlook on everything and overall cheery demeanor had the power to calm even him in his worst moments. He realized that while he had been spending extra time with her, his outbursts with Leo had been less frequent, he didn't harp on his younger brothers as much, and his own anger was slowly starting to change directions. Sure, he had his moments, especially when he kept his silent vigil over Sensei. But even the shortest conversation with Teagan during those moments helped to soothe the beast inside him. He had a lot of demons to deal with, and he wasn't sure where he would be if he didn't have Teagan. He knew it sounded cheesy as heck, but he didn't care. He meant it.

_Just don't go overboard, ok? I know how you get when you get dinner. I'm gonna gain like fifty pounds if I let you keep feeding me_

He pictured her rolling her steel eyes as she read his message, quietly shaking her head with a small smile as she did.

_Knowing you, it would turn straight to muscle, tough guy. Now quit complaining or I WILL go overboard_

Raphael snorted at the thought. He glanced at the time and realized he would need to speed things up in order to have time to clean himself up slightly before making sure Teagan got to work okay and then heading for patrol. Cranking the music up once again, he quickly got lost in engine parts and grease.

Several hours later and he was getting ready to leave the house once again, the sun just beginning to set. He had just enough time to make it to the dorms before Teagan left. He carefully and quietly headed down the stairs, not wanting to wake Leo who was asleep in his room. Donnie was at the hospital, and before the night was over, Mikey would soon replace him. Raph just hoped his youngest brother was still passed out on the couch. Once he reached the kitchen, he deemed it safe to don his boots and mask. As he was halfway finished with the left boot, he looked up at the sound of footsteps. Mikey groggily walked into the kitchen, rubbing a hand over his face and through his blonde curls. He frowned momentarily at Raphael before looking at the clock.

"Where you going, bro? It's not time for patrol yet..."

Raph smiled softly. "I know. But I wanted some time to myself before being stuck with Fearless all night." he explained. It was...sort of true...

Michelangelo just shook his head before walking over to the fridge to rummage around for leftover pizza. "You guys fight too much." he grumbled.

"We do not." Raph replied indignantly.

His younger brother made it a point to stop what he was doing to turn around and give him an extremely pointed look. "When was the last time you two talked without it ending in an argument?" he asked.

Raph glanced at the ground, trying to remember.

"Ha. Knew it. Seriously, you need to make peace. The team can't function if its strongest members are always at each other's throats."

Raph suddenly flashed back to his childhood, both he and Leo on their knees with their heads bowed respectfully in front of their sensei. Leo was fourteen and Raph was thirteen. The two of them had just had one of their bigger fights, both ending up with blackened eyes and bruised egos.

"You have to get past these petty disagreements, my sons. If you are to function as a team, all members need to be on the same page. Even the smallest of ripples can create waves."

The memory faded with Leo and Raph apologizing to each other and closing the deal with a hug.

Raphael had to blink the blurriness away from his eyes. It was very slowly becoming a possibility that he would never receive such wisdom from his father again. "You're right, Mikey." Raph said quietly.

That made the youngest brother freeze in his tracks. "...what?" he asked, giving Raph an obviously confused look.

Raph sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. "You're right. We both...I need...to swallow my pride and play nice." he mumbled. Truth be told, he had thought about it a lot in the past few weeks. He and Leo had been slowly drifting farther and farther apart. It was getting to the point where every conversation they had ended in a shouting match. Thankfully, it never escalated to physical violence. Raph didn't know if he could live with himself if he hurt one of his brothers. And from the stories Teagan told him of her and her brother, how close they used to be, he realized that's what was happening to him and his brothers.

Mikey blinked several times, staring at his brother in shock. "Dude, are you high?" he asked.

Raphael scowled. "No."

"Drunk?"

"No."

"Am I dreaming?"

 _"No."_ Raph hissed. "I'm agreeing with you, Mikey. That's it."

Mikey just shook his head. "Yeah, and that never happens. So what's the deal? I doubt you came about this revelation on your own. So is there something you need to tell me?"

Raph frowned in confusion. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe where you disappear to in the middle of the night? Whatever you've been doing lately is scaring me."

"What?"

Mikey rolled his eyes. "You haven't yelled at me in over a week. You help Donnie without getting angry. You and Leo haven't argued in almost two weeks. Not that I'm complaining here, brah, but you're not acting like yourself."

Raph felt like throwing his hands up in frustration. "There's nothing going on."

Mikey just shook his head. "Is it yoga? Have you been visiting the _Hashi?_ Maybe that's where that new red blanket came from."

"No. And no." he ground out.

"Then it's gotta be somethin else. Have you been seeing April again?"

Raph let out a warning growl, telling his brother to back off. A long time ago, he and April had a sort of fling. It never panned out but both of them were happy being friends. "Mikey..."

"Okay, if not April, then you musta found another girl."

Raph felt like flinging his boot at his brother. "Mikey-"

The youngest clapped and pointed at his brother. "HA! So it is a lady friend." he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. He knew Raphael would have no problem pounding him later, but Mikey could tell from the red tinge on his brother's ears that he was right. "What's her name? Is she pretty? What's she do? She must be special if she can get the all powerful Raph under control. What's she like?"

Raph shook his head, trying to decipher the barrage of questions that were being thrown his way. Mikey looked like a kid in a candy store. Raph couldn't help but let a smile show when his brother was excited. "She's just a friend, okay? Nothing special. And you can't let this slip, got it?"

Mikey nodded fervently. It was rare that his brothers would entrust him with such a big secret. But he made sure when they did, he would take that secret to his grave."My lips are sealed. Just tell me a bit about her?"

Raphael sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"What's her name?"

"...Tigger."

Mikey gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously, Raph?"

The older Hamato shrugged. "That's what I call her. She's happy and spunky, she's beautiful, she's strong-"

"Whoa, dude, slow down." Mikey said, stopping his brother's rant. "How long have you known this chic?"

Raph frowned, trying to remember. "A month? Maybe a little more?"

Mikey flashed a wide grin. "Somebody's in loooOOOOooove." he sung. It was obvious to him that his brother was head over heels. He hadn't seen Raph this calm, or even happy really, since Mona Lisa. It was nice to see him less tense and in an overall better mood. The days when that happened were very few and far between these days.

"No, I'm not." Raph growled, reaching out to cuff his younger brother on the back of his head. Mikey easily avoided the blow, and he noticed that Raph's heart wasn't even in the action.

"Whatever, man. But whatever this chic is doing, tell her to keep it up. It's nice having you almost back to normal."

Raph mulled the statement over in his head. Normal...that was a new concept to him. He hadn't known what normal was for a long time. His version of normal was working himself to death before beating himself up mentally and then getting maybe four hours of sleep only to repeat it all the next day. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was slowly changing his routine the longer he spent time with the platinum haired college student. Her good attitude was slowly rubbing off on him, giving him a slightly better outlook on the predicament he found himself in. "Sure." he mumbled, tying the red tails into a knot at the back of his head. Mikey watched him leave, a satisfied smile on his face as he did.

Later that evening, Teagan was rushing back and forth between tables. The restaurant was overcrowded and they were shorthanded. She felt bad clocking out when she did, so she stuck around for a few more minutes to make sure everyone got their orders. She thanked Ross, the main cook of the night, for making up some boxes for her to take, which she also felt bad for ordering. She hated leaving Jim and the others alone when they were that busy, but she promised Raph she was getting off early. Jim understood her not wanting to leave them hanging, but he had to basically shove her out the door to send her home. She met Raphael in the alley right beside the old restaurant which kept him in the shadows. He raised an eyebrow at her frazzled expression, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, patiently waiting for her. "What's up, Tigger?"

She blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, scowling as she did. "The moon." she muttered. "I'm sorry I'm a little late, the place was slammed tonight. I didn't feel right leaving three waitresses and two cooks to do all the work of a full house."

He chuckled. "It's okay. Not like I had a schedule or anything to keep." Which wasn't entirely true. He bailed on Leo for the time being, promising that after a couple hours, he would get back to patrol before going to sit with their father. And honestly, the thought of Teagan being late for that reason didn't bother him. It was just something else that made him admire her even more. She had a lot of rare qualities which was nice to find. She was honest and loyal, and with a heart of gold. He wouldn't be surprised if she volunteered at a children's hospital on the weekends.

She sighed in relief. "I was worried I was gonna keep you from your ninja duties longer than I should have."

He shrugged. "My brother can handle it for a couple hours."

She looked over at him while they started walking in the direction of the dorms. "You never talk about them much." she observed. "It's probably none of my business, but is everything okay? You don't seem to want  
talk about them."

Raphael narrowed his eyes slightly. He had forgotten how perceptive she was. And it would make sense that because he was spending every minute is spare time with her that he could that she would become sensitive to his ever shifting moods. His shoulders drooped slightly and all the tension seemed to flow out of him as he opened his mouth. "Not exactly." he muttered. "I got one older and two younger brothers. Our father was the one who trained us. He put my oldest brother in charge of the team, and he and I never really have seen eye to eye on a lot of things. Sure, I respect his role on the team and I love him cause he's my brother, but we aren't the best of friends anymore."

She waited with silent patience for him to continue, not interrupting as she cast a sidelong glance at him. She noticed, not for the first time, how exhausted he looked. His movements were slow and sluggish, something she hadn't seen in him before. Every muscle in his body appeared tense, like he could snap at any moment. She suspected that he had a nasty temper that was easily evoked and hard to calm.

"There...there was an accident. My dad got hurt. Really bad. He's in a coma right now, has been for two months. And it was my fault." He hadn't noticed he stopped walking until Teagan set her bag and box of food down on the ground and lunged for him. He was expecting her to throw accusations, hurl her words like daggers, but he was more than surprised when her arms tightly wrapped around him and she buried her face in his chest. He stared down at her, wide eyed, as she just stood there, hugging him.

"I'm so sorry, Raph." she said quietly. "I can't imagine what you're going through."

He didn't respond, just gently wrapped her in his arms, wordlessly accepting the embrace. His chin rested on top of her head as the thoughts whirled in his mind. "They blame me. I know they do. And they're right. They all look at me like I'm some sort of monster. I don't blame them, I know it's true. If I hadn't been such an idiot, we wouldn't be in this situation."

" _Stop_." she hissed, releasing him and staring up with a glare. "Don't talk like that. You are not a monster. Do you hear me, Raphael? You are an amazing, kind, and caring person. You help other people at the risk to yourself. Sure, you might fight with your brothers, _but that's what siblings do_. Trust me, I would know. If you and your older brother don't get along, there's nothing wrong with that. Siblings rarely see eye to eye on everything. All you can do is do your part to support the decisions he makes based on the good of the team. Your younger brothers do the same for you. You may not realize it, but they probably do. They don't think any different of you now than they did when you were kids. Sure, you might be a little bit of a hothead and that can definitely get you into trouble sometimes. I don't know what happened to your father, and I don't need to know. That's something extremely personal and I know enough to not stick my nose where it doesn't belong. But I'm sure it wasn't your fault. You're not capable of having it be your fault."

Raphael stared down at her, surprise written on his normally blank features. He was surprised to hear her defend him with such ferocity, even berating him for thinking bad about himself. He realized that he didn't deserve it, especially with her not knowing the whole truth of the situation. But, as selfish as he was, he decided to take whatever reassurances he could get. When she saw the expression on his face change, her own features softened and she reached to pull him into another hug. He allowed it, his arms instinctively snaking around her in response. She made him feel like he was an actual person. A living, breathing, and emotional person. He hadn't felt that in a long time. It was just something he had learned to live with. But the time he spent with Teagan was reawakening those feelings and emotions. He was beginning to have the perspective that he used to. And honestly? He liked it.

"Now come on. It's freezing out here. I would much rather be in my dorm with a fluffy blanket and old, bad, cheesy movies than standing out here and let my hair freeze." she said, releasing him after a few minutes. He nodded his assent, grabbing the food box so she would have less to carry.

Once they reached her dorm, it was almost nine. Teagan had promptly changed into her comfortable pajamas, leaving Raph alone to make himself comfortable. He had kicked off his boots by the door and they were currently sitting on her bed, eating the dinner she had provided. She had popped in an old black and white movie, to which he grew bored with eventually. It wasn't until after ten that he realized she had fallen asleep. Somehow, between getting the blankets and pillows arranged and making themselves comfortable, he had ended up with one leg tucked under him with the other stretched out in front of him. Teagan ended up with her back against his chest, her head falling slightly to the side as her chest rose and fell with deep even breaths. Raph looked down at her, his green eyes affectionately making sure she was comfortable. It wasn't until about a half hour later that he reached up and slowly tugged the red mask off his face. He continued to stare down at her, wondering how he had managed to keep her in his life. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, his fingers catching on the band at the base of his neck. "You have no idea how badly I want to tell you the truth." he whispered quietly.

She made a small noise, adjusting her position slightly. He looked down, unmasked at the young woman that had currently trapped him in place. When he looked at the clock, he realized he was way overdue. Sighing quietly and wishing the moment of peaceful bliss could continue, he gently moved Teagan out of his lap so he could leave. He made it a point to put the dark blue gift bag on her desk, facing her, so she would see it when she woke up the next morning.

"Good night, Tigger.t


End file.
